Help With Difficult Employees

The Consequences for Supervisors Who Ignore Poor Employee Performance

I don’t know too many people who enjoy confrontation. Sometimes it may feel easier to just ignore or excuse a difficult employees‘ behavior with the promise to yourself that you’ll deal with your employee’s bad behavior the ‘next time’ the behavior occurs in the workplace.  Or, you may choose to believe that it’s just ‘the way they are’ when faced with the need to address your employee who says something that is inappropriate, or who refuses to follow through on your requests.

Sometimes managers and business owners like to think of their work culture as being different from larger organizations and therefore get caught up in the belief that their employees are like family.  There tends to be a much higher tolerance to what one is willing to tolerate when it comes to family members.

The fact is, when you are charged with overseeing employees, it’s your responsibility as a leader to ensure that all of your employees are not only doing the job that you are paying them to do, but that they are performing their jobs in a way that is respectful, collaborative and professional in a workplace environment.

You are ultimately responsible for the actions and behavior of your staff.  Choosing to ignore all of the signs and not take responsibility to address and actively work towards resolving employee issues could have dire consequences for your business; some of which include:

Loss of Productivity:  An employee who is being insubordinate, yelling at co-workers, or arriving to work late or not at all is an employee who is not working to their fullest capacity.  Your clients and customers aren’t getting what they need from your organization which reflects poorly on you, and your company.

Negatively Affects Employee Morale:  Don’t be fooled by the fact that you haven’t heard complaints about poor performing workers from other staff members.  Poor performance from even one of your employees will have an impact on those employees who work most closely with your difficult employee.

Your employees are forming their own perceptions about not just their problem co-worker, and that person’s behavior, but they are also forming negative opinions about your ability to lead.

They’re thinking about how hard they are working versus their difficult co-workers. They’re wondering if you even recognize how hard they work day in and day out. They’re wondering if you notice or even care that they arrive to work on time, that they are always willing to help, and that they are always professional.

Creates Even More “Difficult Employee Issues”: Remember the childhood taunt, “Monkey see– monkey do”?   Some of your employees may get the message that it’s o.k. to refuse to take on an assignment, that it is acceptable to use inappropriate language at work, or that it’s fine to arrive late because other employees are allowed to do so.

Your staff are watching very closely how you handle these difficult workplace situations whether you realize it or not.  I can tell you from experience that your employees are very likely sharing their concerns with their co-workers, family and friends.  Inaction can have far reaching consequences.

Perceptions of Preferential Treatment: Employees that see that you allow a co-worker to finish assignments late with no consequence, or who tell you what work they will do or not do are often viewed as ‘untouchable’ by their co-workers.

They surmise from your inaction that difficult employees can do no wrong in your eyes.  This can lead to feelings of resentment.

Affects Employee Turnover: When your best employees dread coming in to work each day because there is always ‘drama’, or they perceive that some employees are getting preferential treatment, You risk losing your best employees based on their perceptions of your lack of leadership.  In many cases, you won’t even have a clue that your employees are that unhappy until they are handing you their resignation letter.

Loss of Respect From Staff:  Let’s face it, your employees just won’t respect you if you ignore workplace issues.  I’ve counseled scores of employees at various organizations who will reference a manager’s lack of inaction during difficult work place situations as the primary reason that they’ve lost their respect for their manager.  There is no confidence that a manager in these situations has the ability to effectively manage employees.

Potential for Lawsuits and Other Legal Issues:  When you allow employees to cross the line in the workplace without taking immediate action, your remaining staff won’t feel confident enough to approach you with their concerns.  They know from experience based on your past actions that you won’t do anything to address difficult employee issues and therefore don’t feel confident that you’ll even listen to their concerns. Some will feel that their only hope for resolution is with an attorney or some or regulatory agency.

Lost Customers, Clients and Money:  When employees aren’t working up to their full capacity, or are treating others poorly, it can’t help but affect the bottom line which includes employees being less productive, and a loss of customers and clients.  This in turn will almost always affect business growth and revenue.

These are just some of the consequences for not facing difficult employee issues head on.  I’m sure that there are many others.

Take steps now to address difficult employee issues, no matter how small, before these issues turn into bigger ones.  Not only will you be helping the offending employee improve their behavior, but you will be ensuring that your employees, customers and clients experience a workplace culture that is free of strife.

Dianne Shaddock is the Founder of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips.  Through a regular blog, and weekly ‘quick tips’  e-newsletters,  Dianne offers expert advice on how to make better hiring decisions, manage difficult employees, develop employee policies, motivate staff.   No stuffy, corporate HR policy lingo; but straight forward, easy to understand and implement advice for businesses just like yours.  Stay ahead of the curve and go to Easy Small Business HR for more tips on how to hire and manage your staff effectively.

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ESBHR Podcast 1: Premiere Podcast: How I Can Help You With Hiring and Managing Employees

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In the premiere episode of Easy Small Business HR’s “Employee Hiring and Managing Podcast, I highlight what you can expect in future episodes.

Future podcasts will feature tips on how to effectively find, hire and manage employees.  You’ll also get sound and straightforward advice on how to deal with difficult employees.  Get the help that you need as a supervisor to be successful!

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10 Helpful Tips When Dealing With Difficult Employees

Confrontation in the workplace in the form of a difficult employee brings with it it’s own set of unique challenges.

Managing difficult employees can be a problem that can leave even the most seasoned manager shaking in their boots.  Based on this discomfort, the manager often takes the path of least resistance and either ignores the problem, or works around the difficult employee, which inevitably creates additional issues.

Case in point:  A friend relayed a very interesting workplace situation with a past employer that involved a co-worker who had a notorious reputation throughout the company of being especially unpleasant and divisive.

The friend worked on a team of five employees charged with providing financial support to a wide variety of clients within her company.How to Manage Problem Employees: A Step-by-Step Guide for Turning Difficult Employees into High Performers

One of the five employees, whom I’ll call “Grace” was routinely stubborn, unhelpful, and confrontational with anyone in the company who approached her for assistance with processing their invoices and reimbursements.

She let everyone know when she was in a bad mood and how her mood would affect the turnaround time of their request; that is if she bothered to acknowledge employee requests at all.  Grace’s attitude didn’t stop with her co-workers.  She was just as rude, even insubordinate, when interacting with her supervisor.

Grace had no qualms with telling her supervisor that she refused to perform the core functions of her job because she “didn’t have time”, the work “didn’t make sense”, or that she was bombarded with unreasonable, even unfair requests.

My friend found her co-workers’ behavior unconscionable, but what was even more disturbing to her as well as her co-workers was the fact that the supervisor enabled, even condoned the poor behavior by not addressing the behavior with the employee directly.  When staff brought their concerns to Grace’s supervisor, they were met with declarations of “You know Grace”, or, “She’s just joking”.

This supervisor’s lack of commitment in dealing with her problem employee created an even bigger issue: poor morale.  The supervisor was now faced with one difficult employee and a team of disillusioned employees.  As my friend conveyed to me, the team lost all respect for their supervisor who from their perspective, was not doing her job.  Some of her co-workers were actively looking for other jobs.

Confronting and managing a difficult employee is not easy, but it is a business necessity.  The stakes are high in terms of lost productivity, poor morale, and potential loss of staff, customers, and income.

Here are ten tips that will help you to take the steps needed to manage a difficult employee:

1.    Confront the issue or behavior immediately.  Don’t wait until the issue or behavior escalates into an unmanageable situation.

2.    Professional courtesy and confidentiality dictates that you have the difficult conversation in a private area such as your office or a conference room.

3.    Be specific about your concerns.  Let the employee know what you’ve heard or observed.

4.    Give the employee a chance to respond.

5.    Clearly articulate why the behavior or action is inappropriate and, provide an example(s) of the impact that the behavior has on the business, co-workers, and clients, if appropriate.

6.    Be clear about your expectations.  If the behavior needs to end immediately, say so.

7.    Let the employee know that you will be monitoring their behavior and that there will be consequences for any future infractions.

8.    Summarize the conversation in writing so that there is a document, which shows that the conversation took place and that the employee has been warned that their behavior must improve immediately.  Give the employee a copy and place a copy in their file.

9.    Be sure to monitor the situation and follow up with the employee as promised if there are further issues.

10.    Don’t shy away from terminating a difficult employee whose behavior does not improve.

Get more tips on interviewing, hiring, managing and engaging your employees. Dianne Shaddock is the President of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips and the author of the eGuide, “How To Supervise:  What Your Boss Never Told You Before You Took the Job“, A Step-By-Step Guide For New and Seasoned Managers.

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Firing Employees: Do’s and Don’ts

If you manage employees, sooner or later you will be faced with making the very difficult decision to fire an employee for poor performance or some other work related infraction. The decision to fire a worker should not be taken lightly. Think about the following “Do’s and Don’ts” before taking a step towards ending a staff members’ employment:

Don’t:

Leave the task to someone who does not have direct supervision of the worker being fired. If you are their direct supervisor, you have the ultimate responsibility to deliver the “bad news”.

Why? Not only does it put the person who does not supervise the employee in an unfair and uncomfortable position of being the messenger of your decision, but it makes the affected employee feel dismissed, angry and resentful. Sit with your employee and be clear with them as to why they are being fired. If you have been communicating with your worker prior to notifying that they will be let go, (and I hope that you have), the fact that you have reached the point where they will be fired should not be a surprise to them.

Don’t:

Fire an employee on the spot unless the actions are so egregious that it requires immediate removal from the workplace.

Why? It is critical to be consistent with how you determine what acts of employee conduct or misconduct rise to the level of firing an employee. All businesses no matter how small should have basic standards in place that highlight your expectations relating to employee conduct or behavior in the workplace and the consequences of violating these standards. Firing an employee without having company standards in place that show that you have specific expectations of employees and their behavior complicates situations where an employee feels that they have been treated unfairly.

If you manage employees, sooner or later you will be faced with making the very difficult decision to fire an employee for poor performance or some other work related infraction. The decision to fire a worker should not be taken lightly. Think about the following “Do’s and Don’ts” before taking a step towards ending a staff members’ employment:

Don’t:

Leave the task to someone who does not have direct supervision of the worker being fired. If you are their direct supervisor, you have the ultimate responsibility to deliver the “bad news”.

Why? Not only does it put the person who does not supervise the employee in an unfair and uncomfortable position of being the messenger of your decision, but it makes the affected employee feel dismissed, angry and resentful. Sit with your employee and be clear with them as to why they are being fired. If you have been communicating with your worker prior to notifying that they will be let go, (and I hope that you have), the fact that you have reached the point where they will be fired should not be a surprise to them.

Don’t:

Fire an employee on the spot unless the actions are so egregious that it requires immediate removal from the workplace.

Why? It is critical to be consistent with how you determine what acts of employee conduct or misconduct rise to the level of firing an employee. All businesses no matter how small should have basic standards in place that highlight your expectations relating to employee conduct or behavior in the workplace and the consequences of violating these standards. Firing an employee without having company standards in place that show that you have specific expectations of employees and their behavior complicates situations where an employee feels that they have been treated unfairly.

If you don’t have any standards or policies in place, the best approach for firings involving less complicated work violation situations may be to give the employee a warning that their actions are inappropriate and then clearly highlight your expectations moving forward. Let them know that any future violations will result in termination. Document the date that the employee received this information and place a note in their file.

Be proactive and summarize your expectations of all employees in writing including the consequences for misconduct. Give a written document to all of your employees that highlight your expectations. Employees deserve to know what is expected of them, as well as the consequences of certain actions or behaviors in the workplace.

Do:

Fire workers who have crossed the line of what is considered egregious inappropriate behavior if you are absolutely certain based on the facts that the employee is guilty of misconduct. Behaviors that might require immediate dismissal if proven are:

  • Violence against others
  • Sexual harassment
  • Threats
  • Bringing weapons to work

Remember to be proactive and have written standards in place that highlight the company’s position on employee conduct and behavior. Be careful to fully investigate any complaints before making the decision to fire a worker. If you are not sure if a worker is guilty of any violation and you need time to learn more in situations such as the ones described above, suspend the employee with pay until you are able to research the situation and talk to all of the individuals involved.

Do:

Respect the privacy and confidentiality of everyone involved by meeting with your employee(s) in a private area; (it’s o.k. to have a management person present if appropriate as a witness).

Do:

Tell your employee the reason for the termination. Have a letter prepared briefly summarizing the reason for their being fired, the date of the firing and when their benefits will end, (if applicable).

Give your employee their last paycheck if at all possible when you notify them that they are being fired. If this is not possible, let them know when they can expect to receive their last check and that it will be mailed to their home.

It is recommended that you consult with an employment law attorney if you do not have a dedicated human resources professional in place to help you through these more complicated situations.

Dianne Shaddock is the Founder of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips.  Through the Employee Hiring and Managing Tips podcast, blog, and weekly ‘quick tips’  e-newsletters,  Dianne offers expert advice on how to make better hiring decisions, manage difficult employees, develop employee policies, motivate staff, and so much more.   No stuffy, corporate HR policy lingo; but straight forward, easy to understand and implement advice for businesses just like yours.  Stay ahead of the curve and go to Easy Small Business HR for more tips on how to hire and manage your staff effectively.

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